Experiences of God’s Faithfulness in the SEESHA Assam Medical Camp

I write this report in the train as I travel back home – so as to capture the sense of exhilaration I feel after attending a medical camp – conducted by SEESHA and hosted by the Crofts memorial hospital and St. Augustine’s hospital in Bongaigaon – Assam. The days were filled with an intensely busy outpatient clinic and followed by a list of operations that would be difficult to see done even in a large hospital. The tribals in this area hardly have good health care access – so urology, laparoscopic work and major operations are facilities that they cannot even dare to dream of. One patient beamed from ear to ear to see the SEESHA banner – she explained that she is a partner in the SEESHA ministry and was pleasantly surprised to see a camp in her home town. She left the camp being diagnosed as hypertensive with high cholesterol – while her son with bleeding from the nose since childhood had a nasal endoscopy – something they would have probably never ever done from where they live. I sensed their gratitude was much more than just happiness, but a justification of Gods providence.

Patients with abdominal pain were able to be diagnosed with renal stones and gall stones with our portable Ultrasound machine, and about 10 patients with various forms of cancer were either treated or counseled about treatment options. It was easy to see how poverty and ignorance mean that medical issues take a low priority.

As a surgeon – my primary interest was the operations – but operating to 3 AM in the morning was not the kind of operating I had come prepared for! The most amazing thing was the way that operations that would have been difficult to do open were able to be completed laparoscopically. This was possible by God’s grace, that without doubt covered us through the camp – also the technical and surgical expertise of our senior surgeon, Dr. Gnanaraj – and his team – who are each so dedicated to their call.

Dr Pradeep at the Crofts hospital was an inspiration – as he worked tirelessly at arranging and organizing things so that there was no delay. He genuinely loves the local people and this shows in the way he deals with them – he personally donated blood for a lady who needed a large uterine tumour removed, and this was a testimony to how God uses people as powerful tools. One lady had just recently been prayed for by Brother Dinakaran – for relief of her abdominal pain – and she told me about this after we treated her endoscopically for a kidney stone as we were shifting her off the operating table – my heart was filled with a sense of awe. Our God answers prayer – with miracles. As far as she (and I) was concerned, an advanced urological operation in a tribal area is a miracle.

And so we left the camp after seeing about 200 patients and doing about 28 operations in a short 3 day span. I hope that the effort and commitment to continue such work will inspire those who come for healing to look further at the divine healer.